YEP Letters: February 23

Some of the comments YEP readers make about the last Labour government are absolute madness and can only be an attempt to reflect the woeful administration we currently have running this country in a better light.

First things first, the last Labour government did not bring this country to the brink of ruin, a global economic crash did, the Labour party just had the misfortune to be in office at the time, it would have been the same had the Tories, or any other party, been in power.

After 18 years of disastrous Tory rule that ruined the North of this country, the Tories should have been confined to the dustbin of history for good.

When I first started work in 1987 my first pay cheque for a 60-hour week was £27.50. Thatcher was responsible for that, as she was for dismantling my father’s livelihood.

Thanks to Labour, employers can no longer get away with paying such scandalous wages. Whether you love the minimum wage or hate it, the fact remains it would never be law if the Tories got their way, companies would still be paying £2.20 per hour.

David Cameron has been one of the most inept leaders (he hasn’t been Prime Minister, he’s been leader of the coalition) this country has ever had.

We spent four years lurching from one recession to another and now magically because they’ll need your votes come May were supposed to be recovering economically.

Maybe Cameron and his rich buddies are, but the majority are not and people are buying into this.

Cameron and his cronies did not suffer at the hand of his austerity cuts, the normal people of this country did, we are not all in this together.

This is why, come May, the needs of the many should outweigh the needs of the few and we should dump this lot before it’s too late.

Helping hand for troubled families

Beryl Lee, Leeds

I WAS delighted to read Councillor Judith Blake talk about social care being transformed in Leeds (YEP, February 13).

As a former trustee of the Grandparents’ Association charity and a volunteer for many years, I have been campaining for many of the issues mentioned.

In particular family conferences.

It is probably about 15 years or more since I became seriously convinced of the positive benefits of these after a talk on the subject at a conference in Cardiff.

A young lawyer explained her then pioneering successes with this method of working with troubled families.

I wish Councillor Blake every success in providing children and families a chance to move forward and solve what are often heart breaking difficulties.

It’s time to end one-stop rides

K and D Ingle, Gildersome

With reference to the recent letter from Nick Keer on bus passes (Your Feedback, February 14) and the somewhat hostile replies it has received, my wife and I would be more than happy to pay a token fare (or half-fare) to travel by bus if the free element was withdrawn.

If this was to happen in the near future it might just help reduce the silly one or two-stop journeys.

Just to illustrate how moronic a one-stop journey is, we were on a bus in the Bradford area just before Christmas when a pensioner boarded.

He immediately started moaning to the driver, claiming he’d been waiting over half an hour.

As the bus was slightly early, the driver had to wait a further couple of minutes. This caused this passenger to complain yet again.

The driver apologised and informed him that he couldn’t leave early. When the correct time was reached the driver set off.

On passing the next stop this pensioner tried, unsuccessfully, to alight.

The driver was totally unaware of his intentions as he failed to ring the bell and so stopped at the following stop, two stops on in total.

The driver and passenger exchanged a few words – most of which can’t be shared in this letter!

The overall outcome was he’d have been far quicker to walk in the first place than wait as long as he did, and then have to walk back!

Memories of dance hall days

Ken Douglas, Scholes

I AM writing in response to the nostalgic letter from Simon Peters in Majorca (Your Feedback, February 16) regarding the 1950s and 1960s dance band scene in Leeds.

As one of a group of recently demobbed (RAF and Army) national servicemen, we frequently visited the Majestic ballrooms, where the Johnny Wallaston big band, plus trio, were in residence.

The Mecca Locarno did intermittently feature the Ray Ellington quartet, with vocals by local songbird Marion Ryan.

The two main dance venues out of town were the Capitol and Astoria ballrooms, where I think the Jack Mann band played.

As some of our group acquired company cars or purchased our first bangers, we ventured out regularly to the Grand Hotel in Harrogate on Saturday nights where Rob Barclay fronted the White Eagles and Yorkshire jazz bands.

Also on our itinerary at this time was the Old Mill dance hall in Wetherby.

Nostalgic, yes, but fond and happy memories.

Litter a blight on wonderful city

Jane Taylor, Shadwell

I AM at my wits’ end. I live in a wonderful city in a wonderful county in a wonderful country and all I see when I drive anywhere is litter.

Yesterday along the M621, coming towards the city, I was appalled at the amount of rubbish I saw along the roadside.

Today, travelling to Harrogate along the A61, from the Grammar School to Harewood, I have never seen so much.

What is the matter with people? Am I the only one who cares?

Can the offenders not see that throwing something from a car or dropping it while they walk has such an impact on the city – and not just from a financial point of view?

Are there people in the city who think like I do who can get together to address this problem to make Leeds a beacon of tidiness?